App Chat

Are we Lost? is the second book in a series about Raymond and Sheila, brother and sister alligators who often face challenges and emotions that are bound to resonate with young readers. In this story, Raymond and Sheila face a dilemma as Raymond wants to walk to the ice cream truck to get an ice cream and Sheila, who can’t leave their stuff, worries that he may get lost on the crowded beach:

“Sheila, I’m five and five twelfths,” Raymond reminded his sister. “My getting lost days are over.”

Sheila reluctantly agrees to let him go, reminding him to look for their purple umbrella to find his way back. The story follows Raymond on his adventure to the ice cream truck and back again. Of course, Raymond must overcome a few obstacles along the way. Fortunately Raymond’s friend Snowball the teddy bear tags along for encouragement. The story is well written and the characters endearing. The dialogue between the characters is true to life and often humorous. Colorful illustrations by Eli Noyes beautifully depict the emotion of the characters and enhance the story.

What I especially love about the Raymond and Sheila books is how the characters become positive role models for children. The relationship between the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in are easy to relate to. Although they encounter some challenges and occasionally disagree, Raymond and Sheila offer a loving example of a sibling relationship. In a world filled with television sit-coms depicting sibling rivalry and jokes at one another’s expense, it’s refreshing to see characters that model a sibling relationship that is respectful and kind.

Another feature I appreciate about Are We Lost? is the Parent Guide at the end of the story. Parents are encouraged to read and discuss the story together with their children in order to explore the feelings and situations the characters experience. When I read the book with my nine-year-old son, I took advantage of the discussion prompts in the Parent Guide. As a result, I learned some things about my son I wasn’t aware of before. For instance, when we talked about how Sheila felt worried when she couldn’t find Raymond, I asked my son what he worries about. He told me he worries about taking tests at school, which was a surprise to me since he always makes good grades. The discussion prompts at the end of the story really make the story time experience richer by encouraging children and their caregivers to communicate with one another and explore the topics more deeply.

The story’s author, Annie Fox, does a remarkable job of creating characters and situations that are meaningful and relevant to their intended audience. An award-winning author and educator, Annie Fox has made it her life’s work to help children and teens develop the skills and courage needed to “do the right thing”. In addition to her books and apps for children, she offers advice to parents and teens on her website and has recently published a book for parents entitled, Teaching Kids to Be Good People.

I really liked the first Raymond and Sheila story, Are You My Friend?, and the second book in the series is equally impressive. It covers topics relating to sibling relationships, responsibility, courage, and problem solving. It also makes a nice discussion starter for parents to talk to their children about safety and what to do if you get lost. Are We Lost is a heartwarming story that will captivate children and parents alike.

Great news for SoGaBee fans! Tomorrow (10/1/12) , a brand new math app will be launched by SoGaBee Labs called SoGabee Math Facts Fun: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division. The app is universal, so it will work on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. If you are familiar with SoGaBee’s Sight Words and Spelling with Pixopop app, you will recognize the clean, easy to use interface. Math Facts also has cute, child-friendly characters and bright, colorful illustrations. The characters include a robot, a dinosaur, and a little girl with pigtails. Children can select which character to use and each correct answer will color in a portion of the character until it is completely illustrated.

SoGaBee’s Math Facts Fun offers three different ways to practice the four math processes: flash cards, multiple choice and fill in the blank. Successfully completing a Math Facts level will unlock new levels so that a child is able to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for numbers 1-12. Additional features include a report screen to show progress and a trophy room. I’ve had a great time beta testing this app and look forward to it’s release so I can install it on my son’s iPad. I wish studying was this fun when I was a kid!

Be sure to like SoGaBee on Facebook and follow him on Twitter so you can take part in the launch and be among the first to download SoGaBee’s Math Facts Fun.

Select a character and an operation. Completing one level unlocks more.

“Hello, my name is Heidi and I’m delighted you’re here to read my story. It all began in Switzerland, a very long time ago, over a hundred and thirty years ago in fact.”

The Heidi Story Collection is a well told and beautifully illustrated storybook app for the iPad that includes three stories from the Heidi series in one collection. Each of the three stories, Heidi on the Alp, Heidi in Frankfurt, and Heidi and Klara, can also be purchased individually if you prefer. In addition to the stories, the collection includes all of the extra features (“bits and bobs”) included with each of the individual apps. While there are advantages to downloading them individually (smaller file size etc.), I enjoy being able to read them one after another without leaving the app and appreciate the ability to jump around to explore the extra content offered with each of the stories. For me, the collection is a nice choice.

Upon entering the app, I am immediately reminded of the read along stories I listened to as a child. (You know the books that came with the little 45 records….) In fact, I believe I first heard the story of Heidi this way long, long ago and I really enjoyed following along with the app and remembering bits and pieces of the story from my childhood. There is pleasant music and sound effects in the background that complement and do not detract from the story. The music and sound effects can be turned off in iPad settings if you prefer, but I find them enjoyable.

Each story includes gorgeous, full color illustrations. I especially appreciate the outdoor mountain scenes. The beautiful scenery combined with the subtle background noises like birds chirping, draw the reader into the story. The Heidi Story Collection stories are very well written, with rich language and challenging vocabulary. There are two different reading level options offered. The first option for younger readers tells the story in first person from Heidi’s perspective. This is a fabulous way to draw the younger readers in to the story in a personal way. The child narrating the story from Heidi’s perspective (English version) has a lovely sounding, professional voice and charming English dialect. She does a beautiful job of reading the story in a way that flows nicely and is easily followed and understood. The version for more advanced readers is told in second person with an adult female narrator. It is also sounds pleasant and professional and is easily understood. In the version for younger children, a scrolling bar moves along the page to highlight the spoken text. While many readers appreciate this feature, it moves a bit fast for my eyes and I find it a little distracting. It is often helpful for young readers to have a placeholder to follow along more easily, but I think I would prefer having the text itself change color or highlight a whole line at a time. Or, perhaps there could be an option to turn the scrolling highlight bar off in settings the way the music does. Either way, this is a minor detail and a matter of my personal preference. (My husband has no problem with it at all.)

Heidi is well designed and easy to navigate. It is available in both English and German. I absolutely love all of the extra content provided along with the stories. My very favorite is a spot the difference game in which the child is asked to examine two illustrations and find subtle differences in the pictures. A different spot the difference picture is included with each of the three stories. It would be nice in an update if there were even more pictures in the game. (I love the spot the difference game!) The Heidi Collection also includes educational content including background information, Swiss geography, tourist attractions, native animals, jokes, fun facts and more. Each story has it’s own reading comprehension quiz as well, which is a really nice feature. Once the quiz is answered correctly, the child can receive a coloring page from the story via email as a prize. I am very impressed with the high quality supplemental content provided with the app.

Overall, I am very excited about the Heidi Story Collection. Children are introduced to this classic story in a way that is enjoyable, beautifully told and easily followed, without feeling like the language is in any way watered down. In fact, the language is often quite challenging but presented in an engaging and understandable way. Having the story told by Heidi in first person is a brilliant choice for younger readers. The additional content, quizzes and fun facts provide wonderful background information and really nice educational opportunities for children and adults to share together. The Heidi Story Collection is an excellent value and a wonderful choice for both home and in the classroom.

More information about the developer, Just Kids Apps, can be found on their website and Facebook page.

A promo code for Heidi Story Collection was provided for review purposes.